For all of us foreigners and ex-pats, the LABO Ausländerbehörde is one of those necessary evils…read more If you're lucky, you get someone kind and accommodating and your visa is issued with no problems. If you're unlucky - maybe your paperwork is incorrect, or you've caught someone on a bad day - you will have to come back several times. But if you're persistent, eventually you'll get your visa. A few tips: -Be on time for your appointment and give yourself some extra time if you're not familiar with the area. -Go ahead and over-prepare - bring what you're supposed to but any extra documentation can be helpful. -If you don't speak adequate German, bring along a friend who does. -Smile! A good attitude goes a long way.

I'd like to give my compliments to the AB mainly because in the last couple years they have become…read moremuch more friendly, patient and helpful... Vastly different from I when I first arrived an applied for a visa. Thank you, it's been an amazing experience being here in Germany. The only suggestion I would like to offer is to create a better system for cueing up, outside and inside. Germany is a very orderly place, but not all cultures are the same. In some lands there is no order and people just push shove and cut the line, and some of those people are waiting at the AB too... Even the security guard was overwhelmed. Would be great to have airport style cueing apparatus outside and inside. Also, to any visitors, the AB is not the place to find information. That u should research online or better with a lawyer.